Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Review of 2011 Cadillac CTS This is a loaner car from my local dealer. My DTS is in for service and they gave me this one to drive. And NO...it isn't a "V".. I sure wish it was... It is a 2011 White Diamond color, mid level CTS, with NAV system and Ultraview Sunroof and tan perforated leather interior. It also has the BOSE 5.1 Centerpoint Surround Sound...which sounds pretty good. It has crossed my mind to buy one to replace my big ol' DTS, because the DTS has been discontinued... and I wanted to see what I would be buying. So...I took it on a little, short, trip today, just to check it out good. We only went 225 miles... so this report is not as complete as it would be if I was on a road trip. The car drives very nice. It is (of course) a SPORT SEDAN, so it does not have the traditional soft Cadillac ride. In fact it is a VERY FIRM, but very controlled ride. The seats are also very firm...ALMOST too firm. But they are nowhere near as bad as sitting on a wooden church pew when the Preacher forgets what time it is and just goes on and on and on. But...They ARE more like BMW seats than Cadillac seats. They do have a RECARO seat option... *which this car did not have)...and from what I have read..just about everybody loves the Recaro's. Car handles, turns and stops very well. I did kinda put it thru it's paces...but sorta mildly...'cause I didn't want Darling Wife to hurt me.. Running the 235x55x17 Michelin Pilot tires with 33 front and 32 rear along with the sport suspension may contribute to the firm ride. On the upside...the Pilots and the firm suspension makes for a very taut and well controlled driving experience at relatively high speed. On the downside ... the Pilots were not the quietest tires I have ever driven. There was a fair amount of road noise on concrete interstate and even more on course asphalt. Darling Wife remarked on how much noise the tires made... but she is used to my BIG CAR..which is pretty quite at highway speeds. I did not do any wide open, top speed runs because I had Darling Wife with me and we were supposed to just be out, cruising around, and having a good time. Which we did... I only ran it up just over 105 a few times when passing cars on a two lane road. It pulls well and the speed it reaches is deceiving... (unless you are really watching the speedometer)... because the engine is VERY quite and the outside road noise is not much different at 100+ than it is at 60. I never did try to see where the speed limiter was. Even though it only had the 3.0 engine (270 HP) and not the 3.6 Direct Injected engine (304 HP), it runs very well and does it so easy it will surprise you. (Now I have to go drive one with the 3.6 DI to compare).. (An extra 34 HP should make a pretty good difference in the way it runs.) Personally, I like a bigger car, but it is a very nice size for most people. It also has a HUGE trunk. We could make do with it just fine... but I would probably opt for the Recaro seats. In summary... I think it is a very nice looking automobile that drives VERY WELL. I think most anyone under 50 would enjoy it very much. The reason I put 50 is that as we get older, our knees and hips start to get sensitive to overly firm seats... ... and I am "WAY" over the 50 mark. The only time it bothered me even a little bit was after one stretch of about 2 hours driving without stopping. When we did stop.. I needed to walk around a minute to get back to normal. Hips were a little stiff from sitting on the firm seats. Our itinerary was to go due west, from Fort Worth to Abilene... (200 miles each way)... eat lunch and then drive back. About 60 or 70 miles west of Fort Worth...we decided to go South to a little town where I spent some time as a teenager. Stephenville Texas. The cafe where I used to go was still there, so we ate breakfast there.. Absolutely GREAT FOOD...and bunches of it. http://www.yelp.com/....e-stephenville Then we drove over to Hico Texas...where it is rumored that Billy The Kid was "NOT" really killed by Pat Garrett and lived there for years and years, till he died of old age. http://hico-tx.com/ http://billythekidmuseum.com/ Then we drove out in the country about 20 miles to where I lived when I was 16 and 17. Then on to the town of Glenrose...where the dinosaurs are. http://www.glenroset...ttractions.html Then just wound around on the back roads till we got back home... 225 miles later. All in all...had a very nice trip. 24.9 MPG... I was expecting better fuel mileage...but oh well, it is what it is. Here are a couple of pics of the car... I know how y'all are.. Enjoy... I know I sure did... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review; thanks for posting. I think the chrome accents on the CTS cry out for a color that contrasts nicely; to me the Crystal Red Tintcoat does that best. I will be interested to see if you prefer the upcoming XTS to the CTS. I would also like to hear your thoughts on the current SRX; I was surprised how much I enjoyed it once I got in one. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review; thanks for posting. I think the chrome accents on the CTS cry out for a color that contrasts nicely; to me the Crystal Red Tintcoat does that best. I will be interested to see if you prefer the upcoming XTS to the CTS. I would also like to hear your thoughts on the current SRX; I was surprised how much I enjoyed it once I got in one. I love the Crystal Red Tintcoat. It sure is a pretty color. When I get ready for my next one... that is one of the colors on top of my list. I have been wanting to take a new SRX out for a drive. I also want to drive the CTS wagon.... which I plan on doing pretty soon. I would also like to drive the "V" wagon, but that's probably not gonna happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review Jim. Considering the weight of your foot, I think that is great gas mileage! Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review Jim. Considering the weight of your foot, I think that is great gas mileage! But my DTS will get right at 23 (I think) driving it the same way... and it is much heavier and has a larger engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review Jim. Considering the weight of your foot, I think that is great gas mileage! But my DTS will get right at 23 (usually) driving it the same way... and it is much heavier and has a larger engine. 23 in mixed driving is incredible, I was lucky to get 16 in mixed driving with the 96. It is really a blend of the type of driving you do, and hard to compare in only a couple of hundred miles. Remember that when you were doing the IT work, you were doing a lot of highway driving, way yesterdays hop the same type of driving as that? Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Nice review Jim. Considering the weight of your foot, I think that is great gas mileage! But my DTS will get right at 23 (usually) driving it the same way... and it is much heavier and has a larger engine. 23 in mixed driving is incredible, I was lucky to get 16 in mixed driving with the 96. It is really a blend of the type of driving you do, and hard to compare in only a couple of hundred miles. Remember that when you were doing the IT work, you were doing a lot of highway driving, was yesterdays hop the same type of driving as that? Well...Kinda... The first 70/75 miles or so was on the interstate but only at about 85. Then onto a secondary road that was mostly 2 lane with occasional PASSING LANES. I utilized those to pass some cars and ran it up to a little over 105 a couple of times. Then we ate breakfast and drove arounf the little town for a few minutes... then to the next little town and drove around THERE for a few minutes...then a short "SLOW" run (about 50 mph) down an old country road for about 30/35 miles.. then to the next little town and then eased on back home. BUT...all of the driving except for the first 90 miles was at or below 70. Mostly around 65 with no GETTING ON IT at all. Just taking it really easy and enjoying the drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 The first 70/75 miles or so was on the interstate but only at about 85. (with a few runs of 105) In my neck of the woods that does not equate to Just taking it really easy and enjoying the drive. That is what I am saying Jim, 25 MPG under those conditions is dam good.... Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 The first 70/75 miles or so was on the interstate but only at about 85. (with a few runs of 105) In my neck of the woods that does not equate to Just taking it really easy and enjoying the drive. That is what I am saying Jim, 25 MPG under those conditions is dam good.... Understand .. I think... I was just equating it to if I had been driving my big ol' DTS...it was only about 3mpg better than my car...and I was expecting a good bit more. Smaller car... Lighter car... Smaller (and MUCH more modern) engine... I would have been driving MY car the same exact way... I was more than a little disappointed in the mileage... Really.. I wasn't driving it as hard as I probably would have been driving my DTS. I was ..mostly.. taking it pretty easy. I have been trying to talk myself into downsizing... but it looks like it ain't worth the sacrifice. The cabin in the CTS is so much smaller in the side to side area. Legroom...reach.. is fine... but room on each side of your legs..especially the right side... is very tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yes I understand that it is relative to the DTS, and weight, etc, but, given that this is 8 cylinders vs 6 cylinders, does it make sense that the 6 cylinder engine must work harder to produce the same amount of work? Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yes I understand that it is relative to the DTS, and weight, etc, but, given that this is 8 cylinders vs 6 cylinders, does it make sense that the 6 cylinder engine must work harder to produce the same amount of work? I gave that some thought too. The CTS has 270 HP. My DTS has 292HP and it weighs a good bit more. That's only a 22 HP difference...and with the 6 speed transmission in the CTS, that has TWO overdrive gears... and less weight...I was just expecting more I guess. I will have to adjust my expectations DOWN a little bit I suppose. And one other BIG THING.... It don't SING to me like the NorthStar does.... :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry94 Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Great review. A CTS was my first choice to replace the '94 STS, however last year a '08 STS (V8) came along at a great deal. I did have a CTS (3.6 DI) out for a test ride, not as a lengthy a ride as you, and it worked very well. I'm very pleased with the STS, and would have been happy with a CTS as well. Barry 2008 STS V82016 Colorado Z711970 Corvette LT-1 Coupe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 And one other BIG THING.... It don't SING to me like the NorthStar does.... :( Exactly! There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 And one other BIG THING.... It don't SING to me like the NorthStar does.... :( Exactly! Unfortunately.... the Northstar is history. As are "full sized" cars. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Unfortunately.... the Northstar is history. As are "full sized" cars. Yeah . . . . exactly. There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Unfortunately.... the Northstar is history. As are "full sized" cars. As much as I hate to... I have to agree with you. My plan at this time, is to drive this one till this fall.. or maybe longer... then look for a 2010 or 2011, ultra low mileage, PLATINUM Edition and then just try to drive it forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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